Gluten Free Parmesan Straws

Served Free From G Style

Second time these have been made, no tweaks needed, many scoffed. I highly recommend these with Smoked Salmon as they go together perfectly, were I to be 'just so' about things I'd make these round and topped with a piece of Salmon, small dollop of Sour Cream and a tiny pinch of Dill, but I'm not so you're getting the basic Parmesan Straws version that we have. Ridiculously easy.

There's a few things used in making these that I just want to absolutely rave about, they all make prep so much easier and I really wouldn't want to be without them. Links and love at the bottom.

I doubled my ingredients for this batch as the first time I made them they disappeared too fast, so this recipe will make up about 40 Straws if you cut them as haphazardly as me, no idea how many if you're precise.

Ingredients:

200g Gluten Free Self Raising Flour (Doves Farm used here)

200g Parmesan

50g Butter

2 Large Eggs

1 Tablespoon Milk

2 Heaped Teaspoons Xanthan Gum

Big Pinch of Sea Salt

Directions:

• Put the flour and butter into a bowl or container

Main Ingredients

• Roughly cut the butter into smaller pieces
• Rub the butter and flour together with your fingertips to make crumbs

Removal Of Rings Advised

• Add the salt, milk, xanthan gum and the eggs, grate the parmesan into the mix

One Of The Things I Must Rave About

• Mix together with your hands until you have a dough

Moist Flexible Dough

• Leave to rest for 5 minutes
• Preheat your oven to 180C Fan / 200C non fan
• Put half the dough onto a gluten free floured surface (or use a fabulous silicone mat like me, yes that's another of the things)
• Roll out until about 5mm thick
• Cut the straws about an inch wide

Pastry Scraper Of Wonder

• Put the raw straws onto baking paper lined baking tray or one that's greased
• Repeat with the other half of the dough
• Cook for 7 1/2 minutes then turn and cook for another 7 1/2 minutes

Fresh Out Of The Oven

• Remove from the baking paper and serve or leave to cool

Just Some Of The Batch

Soft and lightly chewy Parmesan Straws, no crumbling so incredibly non messy to eat but very moreish. With regards to the 15 minutes cooking time, check on them, ovens can be so uneven that one side may cook faster than the other, our big oven which is non fan - only ever used when we need a bigger cooking space - is a nightmare.

Prior to acquiring a silicone baking mat there is no way I would have got up on a Sunday morning and thought 'I know, I'll bake some Parmesan Straws for brunch', I would never have thought it let alone actually done it. Way too much mess.

Not now though, I've made them for Sunday brunch the past two weeks running. Not only does it mean that I don't have to flour the surface - me and flour = huge mess - it also makes rolling the dough really easy as it stays put and then you just fold the mat up until you feel like washing it. No sign of there having been dough anywhere. Game changer this one. Mine also has guides for rolling out to precise sizes, doubt that will get used by me but you never know. You can of course also bake on it but mine is so large that it doesn't fit in the oven, I just wanted it for zero mess.

(Just so you know, if you happen to follow my recommendations and actually buy any of them, I get a few pennies for your trouble. The Free From G Pennies Into More Posts Fund.)

Silicone Mats UK / Silicone Mats US

Next up is the pastry scraper, getting this has saved me so much time. No more fiddling around getting pastry off of baking trays just scoop under and up, I also use this as my cutter. Silly little things but so, so useful.

Pastry Scrapers UK / Pastry Scrapers US

Okay, so this was a gift from the very thoughtful Glutenite, it's my Heston Blumethal Precision Smart Jug. Now, unless I'm developing a new recipe I don't measure stuff out, I always do it by eye, tried and tested and all that. But of course with baking, with baking you have to measure stuff out every time, it's a science - and the reason why I was anti baking for so long, I like to fly by the seat of my pants when it comes to cooking, use my instincts - if you don't measure correctly you end up with well, something like that Valentine's 'cake' that still haunts me (and that was before I was gluten free).

This jug is amaaaaaaazing. For this recipe as an a pretty bad example, I measured the flour, reset the jug (by pushing one button) leaving the flour in there and then measured the butter. If I had needed to add more ingredients I would have just reset the jug leaving the flour and butter in there and measured away. There's lots of different settings and it's so very easy to use, I've had this since Summer and it's in constant good use.

Digital Display

There's a little button underneath the handle that you push to release the clear part of the jug for washing. It's lovely not to have to faff about with scales.

Heston's (No It's mine!) Jug UK / Heston Doesn't Love You US :(

The next thing that I really want to rate is the Tefal Fresh Express. The Glutenite bought this for me last Christmas so it's had adequate use for me to relay just how good it is.

Brilliant

First off, if you find yourself grating food a lot the Fresh Express is worth it for that function alone, that's what I use it for 99% of the time. There's 2 grating sizes, regular and smaller (the orange cone is the smaller one) and it's a dream if you're a cheese fanatic like me.

Cheese Block

Push down with the 'pusher thing':

Cheese Grated

That takes about 2 seconds and it's not even hard or fiddly to dismantle for washing up. You just twist the cone slightly to remove and do the same with the clear part then wash.

Fondue prep got a whole lot faster when The Glutenite bought me this. It also grates potatoes super fast to make Rosti (recipe to come), you can grate any veg though. There's also another cone that is for grating chocolate (the yellow one).

It also chops but I rarely ever use it for that, I forget that is does more than grate because I use it so often for that purpose. So yes, the Tefal Fresh Express is the king among graters, I highly recommend it for this use alone, it's unbelievably fast so a considerable time saver.

Fresh Express UK / Fresh Express US

So those are my kitchen helpers, combined they made making these Parmesan Straws a Sunday morning breeze.

Yum

If you are making a large batch as per this recipe put them in an airtight container and they'll keep fresh for up to a week. If you want a smaller amount halve the ingredients listed.

One month until Christmas Day, I'm already feeling very festive and I've not even mentioned Harry Potter or CHRISTMAS AT HOGWARTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!